Prime Minister Manmohan Singh delivered a strong message to the US this week: Don’t go wobbly on Afghanistan. At a time many Americans are asking why we are in Afghanistan, the soft-spoken Indian prime minister was very direct and candid in describing the stakes in Afghanistan in an interview with the Washington Post on the eve of his meetings with President Barack Hussein Obama in the Oval Office.

Manmohan told the newspaper: “A victory for the Taliban in Afghanistan would have catastrophic consequences for the world—particularly for South Asia, for Central Asia and for the Middle East. In the 1980s, religious fundamentalism was used to defeat the Soviet Union. If this same group of people that defeated the Soviet Union now defeats the other major power, this would embolden them in a manner that could have catastrophic consequences for the entire world.”

The Indian prime minister’s assessment comes on the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack since that of September 11, 2001—the assault on Mumbai a year ago by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba. In its tactics and targets, 26/11 had all the hallmarks of the global Islamic jehad. The attack on Mumbai was the first crisis in the world after Obama’s election last November and it had an important impact on his thinking about the risks and threats he faces as president. It is undoubtedly part of the reason why he made dealing with the jehadist threat in Pakistan and Afghanistan his highest foreign policy priority. As he reviews how many more troops to send to Afghanistan now, Manmohan’s warning should be listened to carefully by all Americans.

The US and India confront a syndicate of terrorist groups in the badlands between Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are not a monolith, nor do they have a single agenda. They have no single leader, although most groups (including Al Qaeda) swear allegiance to Mullah Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban. But they work together, they inspire each other, and they often protect each other. A victory for the syndicate in Afghanistan would have enormous implications throughout the Islamic world. It would symbolise dramatically that the global Islamic jehad movement was on the march.

The impact would be most immediate in Pakistan, where a weak civilian government is already tottering. The Pakistani army, which has long had close ties to parts of the syndicate (especially the Lashkar and the Afghan Taliban), would have to make adjustments to live with a victorious Taliban next door. The Pakistani Taliban would be emboldened to push for a jehadist state in Islamabad. India’s own enormous Muslim minority would face the danger of radicalisation. Central Asia would be infested with Taliban-inspired violence. Moderate Muslim voices throughout the Islamic world would be on the defensive.

President Obama inherited a disaster in Afghanistan from his predecessor, who neglected the war for seven years and failed to resource it properly. The situation has gotten worse in the last year, but it is not yet hopeless. The United States has strong partners in the effort to stabilise Afghanistan. The nato alliance has made Afghanistan its first ever ground war and the alliance’s future will now be decided in the Hindu Kush mountains. Over 40 countries have troops on the ground now in Afghanistan. India has already provided $1.2 billion in economic aid to the effort, building the new Afghan parliament and a critical road project linking Afghanistan to the Arabian Sea via Iran.

The nations of the international community trying to help Kabul can still succeed in Afghanistan if they explain to their domestic audiences why it is so important to succeed. In the first state visit of the Obama administration, a visible symbol of India’s importance for this presidency, Manmohan has laid out the stakes in Afghanistan eloquently and clearly this week.

(The writer is a senior fellow at the Saban Centre for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution. He chaired President Obama’s strategic review of the Af-Pak policy last winter and is the author of The Search for Al-Qaeda.)

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Let me be very frank here in that I have no hesitation in praising the Mujaheddin the way they fought mighty Russia to free their country from their occupation.But unfortunately the Indian Muslims in the same vehement never were proud of India's freedom struggle as there were only a handful of the then Muslims engaged with the freedom struggle as majority of them were dreaming of the creation of a larger Pakistan.Have they not conspired with the British and back stabbed the Indian freedom movement.And to prove it further then its same mentality that persists even today when we can see whats happening in Kashmir where your brother are waiting to precipitate a second partition of India .How can then Indians expect some particular sections of people to be proud of India's freedom struggle or the way our people fought against the British and ultimately how drove them out.It will be foolish to expect such people to be proud of the culture of the country or expecting them sincerely to revere the hero's of freedom struggle when they shamelessly refused to sing that national song which was the very inspiration for the entire nation.Its not surprise then that Indian Muslims feeling proud of the Mujaheddin or the Palestinians war of their independence. What is CAIR is up to is less important.Now that terrorists like Headley and Rana are nabbed the Americans will be more careful and watchful of resident Muslims as any sensible country would.CAIR need not say anything openly against India as long as there are Headly's and Rana's.Now its these evil duos and tomorrow many will fall into the trap.Dont you think that your fellow American non Muslims will continue to look upon you guys with suspicion and apprehensions.There is already a talk in USA following the arrest of Headley and Rana by FBI that the Muslims are planning a second 9/11.More than the non Muslims I think it will be the peace loving and law abiding and liberal Muslims will start spewing venom on the very Jihadis and its sympathisers for what they are doing in Pakistan and elsewhere.The educated and well placed Muslims when attracted to jihadism then what is left of saying anything against such people.What further clarification you can give on the situations developing in front of the eyes of the world.Set your house in order first.

One simply cannot take away the true grit or heroism away from any hero's.So are the Mujaheddin and there is no second talk about them as they are real fighters.America may not be cursing why they left Afghanistan once the Russians were ousted.What they may be cursing is why they used Pakistan as the brokers or agents with whom they left sophisticated weaponry like those stinger missiles which the Pakistani ISI sold or bartered for drugs with the Taliban which is also its own creation and unfortunately the Americans became from the predators to the prey or the hunter becoming the hunted or victims from the same weapons they gave to fight their rivals in those Russian communists.So why joy over the heroism of the the then Mujaheddin when its past history now.Have you thought whats happening in Pakistan now till some years back where one brother is after slitting the throat of a fellow brother.you have to think more on this rather than those heroic Mujaheddin.But like fool I am wasting my time trying to tell a thick skull and a jihadi sympathiser like you.

Anwaar Dallas, United States You must have heard ' which came first -the egg or the chicken' and here its the same situation like who came first in India the jihadis or the Bhajarangis.Lets hear it from your own stinking mouth.Before and during the freedom struggle the jihadis were after creating Pakistan when the Sangha Parivar was nascent and the Bhajarngis were not even born.The one thing that hasn't changed since then was the way how the pseudo secular congress was kneeling before the jihadis in order to consolidate its position through their support and were prepared to accept what the jihadis wanted even if its at the cost of the rest or even the country .The same policy is continuing even today that is the policy of appeasement and if that's not enough then even a promise to go slow and soft on Muslim terrorism in return for an assured political support from the community.Why would nationalist forces like the Sangha Parivar then would remain silent.Whats wrong then in the Sangha Parivar and the Bhajaranhgis taking a consistent stand in opposing vested interests working against the country or countering them in kind with reaction to match as a survival policy.The jihadis and its sympathizers who come up in so many avatars and forms like Headley's and Rana's now and Ghori's and Ghazni's then to start with.As long as the jihadis are not disowned by the Muslim communities then why would the Hindus disown the Sangha Parivar or the Bhajarangis.I am not calling you either as a terrorist or a Jihadi but you are proving it yourself when you go nuts if I become critical of Jihadis. The Mujahedin story is irrelevant here when the same good guys who have now turned bad ones .You must also be aware that the same Taliban ideology is inspired by the Deaoband .Whats great in that Mullha Omar when Bin laden was said to have been trained by General Musharaff and now protected by that notorious ISI and the ' D 'company. If there was no jihadis in India then there would have been no role for the Bhjarangis either.

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